Culture & Tourism news

Seoul Square Ice Skating Rink to Open on December 19

12/15/2014SMG2693

The outdoor ice skating rink at Seoul Square will resume operation on December 19, and will run for 52 days, until February 8, 2015. The rink will be open 10:00 to 21:30 from Sunday to Thursday, and the hours will be extended to 23:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, and holidays.

At 17:30 on December 19, the opening ceremony will be held with Mayor Park Won Soon in attendance. On opening day, the rink will be open to Seoul citizens from 18:00. At the opening ceremony, a sand art performance under the theme “Encounter with a Polar Bear,” a performance by the figure skating team Team Blessing, and a music party with DJs will be held.

The Seoul Square Ice Skating Rink was first opened in 2004, and for the past 10 years, it has provided opportunities for Seoul citizens to enjoy a romantic winter activity in the middle of Seoul at a very low cost. Last year, a total of 208,205 people, including 14,909 foreign tourists, used the rink, and its popularity is growing every year.

In particular, in 2014, the skating rink has been decorated under the theme of an “iceberg from the North Pole that floated down to Seoul,” creating beautiful scenery as well as enjoyable skating opportunities.

In addition, as in previous years, the ice skating rink will be closed for the protection of citizens’ health if Seoul’s Comprehensive Air-Quality Index (CAI), which indicates the level of health risk associated with local air quality, exceeds a rating of “High”. The Seoul Metropolitan Government will announce such closing at least two hours in advance. To ensure accurate measurements, the government will place air quality measuring vehicles on the streets to measure the air quality and display it on digital billboards and PDP screens. Also, the government will post the CAI measurements on its official website so that people can check the results before visiting the skating rink.

When the rink needs to be closed, those taking lessons as well as those who made reservations in advance will be notified via SMS. To minimize any inconvenience for our citizens, the admission fee will be fully refunded to those who paid for admission, and they will be allowed to use the rink for the next hour when operation resumes, without having to make a reservation or purchase another admission ticket.